STAR WARS Roses in December
by Nathan You
Summary: This is a one shot about Rose Tico cause I liked her and I thought she deserved some attention.


A golden metallic medallion glinted in the sunlight. Shaped like a stylised half circle or a curved teardrop. Rose Tico held the pendant tightly, her eyes wet with their own teardrops. It had been several days since the loss of her sister but only now had she been given the time to properly morn. The surviving members of the resistance held a collective funeral for those lost in the escape from the forces of the First Order. A solemn service hosted on an uninhabited world. A mass funeral but with no bodies to be buried, so many unable to be recovered from the battlefield, so many only finding rest in the black void of space. The pendant was now Rose's soul link back to her sister, not even its counterpart remained. She looked down at the half pendant, letting her tears fall onto it, now the only half remaining.

Years earlier on Hays Minor the same medalinan was held in the hand of an altogether different member of the Tico family. Rose's mother Thanya held the newly smelted piece of Haysian ore her eyes lit up and she smiled looking at its shining new surface.

"It's beautiful."

"I made matching set so it can always feel like were together."

Said her husband Hue holding up his own mirrored pendant.

"But I can't accept this."

She said and Hue looked shocked

"Why not?"

He asked slightly more defensively than he'd intended and Thanya looked down an expression of sadness and guilt passed over her face.

"It's made of Haysian ore, if I'm caught in the mine with this they'll think I stole it. I could lose my job. You remember what happened to Noja."

"But it's not stolen. I worked hard to save for that!"

She looked away from him unable to meet his gaze.

"I know. I know. But this is important I can't risk…"

She paused, looking away had placed a doorway in her eye line.

"I have an idea."

She beckoned for Hue to follow her and the two entered through the doorway into their children's bedroom. Both Rose and her sister Paige were fast asleep not even stirring as the two came in. Thanya took her pendant and placed it on the pillow next to Rose and took the other off Hue and did the same with it for Paige leaving them as presents for the morning. The two made to leave but stopped and lingered in the doorway to watch over them, Hue turned to Thanya and said

"I think that was a wonderful idea".

Unfortunately the idyllic life of Rose's childhood didn't last. Time passed and her home world of Hays Minor fell to the First Order, her people oppressed the miners treated like slaves to fuel their war machine. And Rose was unwilling to accept their imposed rule over her home. She clutched the pendant tightly in one hand and a large stone in the other. She hid behind a street barricade waiting for a pair of storm troopers to pass. Once they had moved far enough for their backs to be facing her she broke from cover and hurled the stone at one of the troopers. It hit him square on the head causing him to yell out in pain despite the armour of his helmet and the pair turned round to face her.

"You! Hault, don't move!"

Rose made a break for it and the troopers giving chase following for several city blocks. She turned through side streets and ducked into back alley ways trying to lose her but they were always right behind her. Soon they closed in and raised their balsters towards her. But just before they could fire a landspeeder speeded in between them and Rose cutting off their shot. It slowed down allowing her to see that it was Paige driving it.

"Get in!"

She yelled over the sound of the roaring engines. Rose followed her instructions and the two drove away at speed.

"What were you thinking? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Paige asked furious at her sister

"They took everything from us. I wanted to make them hurt."

Rose replied and Paige sighed

"And then what? If hadn't showed up you'd be dead right now and they'd have one more thing they'd taken away from us. Rose, it's not just enough to make them pay for what they took, you have to make sure they don't take away anything else we love".

Years past and eventually the two sisters joined the resistance to continue their fight against the First Order on a larger scale. Paige became the gunner for one of their bombing craft whilst Rose worked as a mechanic fixing the fleets ships including her sister's. Rose forced the tail of her teardrop pendant in the gap underneath a panel pulling it up to prize it off the bombers surface.

"Still working on my ship Sis? We need to get up in the air as soon as possible"

She was right, the First Order could arrive at any moment, they all needed to evacuate D'Qar and everyone was in crisis mode.

"Almost, I just need to replace this"

Rose said detaching a part from the newly exposed mechanism and reaching into the pocket of her jumpsuit for another part to fill its place.

"Ok all done. Let's get this panel back on."

The two lifted the heavy sheet of metal back into place letting it snap back onto its magnetic frame.

"Thanks for the help. You should get to one of the transports."

"You sure about this?"

"What?"

Paige asked confused.

"Commander Dameron's plan. Going after a dreadnought? Should we be risking our ships against something that powerful? Surely we need to keep as many ships as we can safe."

"The Dreadnought is a risk to the whole fleet, by taking it out we'll be keeping everyone else. Besides, you don't have to worry about me, I'll always be with you. Remember?"

Paige said holding her pendant and Rose held up her own in reply, nodding in agreement.

"Now go. Get to a transport."

That was the last time Rose saw her sister. memories of that moment and so many others flooded her mind as she looked down at the pendant, threatening to overwhelm her. But in that moment she reminded herself with her sisters words and felt the truth of them. Yes, so long as she had her memories her sister would always be with her.


End file.
